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He said of the rocket: "It is considered an IRBM (intermediate range ballistic missile) of enhanced calibre, compared to Musudan missiles that have continually failed."

Asked if the North's missile programme was developing faster than the South had expected, he said: "Yes."

Melissa Hanham of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in California, said: “Kim Jong-un has stepped up testing compared to his father and grandfather, and it is starting to pay off.

“This is a clear indication of progress.”

Reuters

Kim Jong-un inspects one of his new Hwasong-12 missiles

Reuters

Kim celebrates with his officers after the successful launch on the weekend

Footage of North Korea launching ballistic missile from test facility

Pyongyang has long had missiles that can reach targets across South Korea and Japan.

But with a range of 2,800 miles, the Hwasong-12 puts US bases on the Pacific island of Guam within reach – and could be a stepping stone to its first real long-range rocket.

Aerospace engineering specialist John Schilling said: “This is not that missile but it might be a testbed, demonstrating technologies and systems to be used in future ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles).”

He told website North 38 that Pyongyang “may be closer to an operational ICBM than had been previously estimated”.

Reuters

The new rocket was successfully launched and could hit US bases in the Pacific

Getty Images

South Korea nervously looked on during the latest test-launch

North Korea has accused the US and South Korea of 'bio-chemical' plot against leadership

The latest launch was the country’s tenth this year, after dozens in 2016, as it accelerates efforts to develop a missile capable of delivering a nuke to the US mainland.

US President Donald Trump has vowed that "won't happen".

And the White House vowed an “ironclad” response to the test, warning that “North Korea has been a flagrant menace for far too long”.

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